Context API vs Redux

context-api-vs-redux


React is a data-driven component UI in which data is passed from parent to child as props. This makes development easy but becomes problematic when you have nested children that require data from the parent cause passing the same data to every child component as props would lead to prop drilling which would affect the performance of your application. That's why we have state management tools such as Redux, MobX, Context API and many more, we would just be focusing on Redux and Context API for this article.

Redux

Redux is a predictable state container for javascript applications. It can help you build applications that perform consistently in different environments. It is flexible, easy to debug and lightweight.

  1. It would affect the final bundle size of the application because it is a standalone tool.
  2. Requires a robust set-up to integrate with the React Application
  3. Better code management because it separates the UI logic and state management logic
  4. Well designed to handle either dynamic or static data
  5. It is relatively easy to debug using the Redux Dev tool
  6. It is easily extendable to add new action/data

Context API

Context API is an in-built tool in React that provides a way to share values like these between components without having to explicitly pass a prop through every level of the tree.

  1. It would not affect the bundle size cause it ships directly with React
  2. It requires a minimal setup
  3. UI and State logic exist together
  4. Designed to handle static data and it's not refreshed often
  5. Debugging can be a bit complicated in nested component structures even with the Dev tool
  6. Adding a new context requires creation from scratch

Final Thoughts

Depending on your need I think both of these tools are great you just have to figure out which one you need for your application. Context API works well for small applications or data that doesn't change constantly while Redux can handle large code base that requires data at different levels.

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